BLACK WOAMAN

Naked woman, black woman

Clothed with your colour which is life

with your form which is beauty!

In your shadow I have grown up; the

gentleness of your hands was laid over my eyes.

And now, high up on the sun-baked

pass, at the heart of summer, at the heart of noon,
I come upon you, my Promised Land,
And your beauty strikes me to heart
like the flash of an eagle.

Naked woman, dark woman

Firm-fleshed ripe fruit, sombre raptures

of black wine, mouth making lyrical my mouth
Savannah stretching to clear horizons,
savannah shuddering beneath the East Wind's
eager caresses.

Carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom, muttering

under the Conqueror's fingers.

Your solemn contralto voice is the

spiritual song of the Beloved.

Naked woman, dark woman

Oil that no breath ruffles, calm oil on the

athlete's flanks of the Princes of Mali
Gazelle limbed in Paradise, pearls are stars on the
night of your skin.

Delights of the mind, the glinting of red

gold against your watered skin.

Under the shadow of your hair, my care

is lightened by the neighbouring suns of your eyes.

Naked woman, black woman,

I sing your beauty that passes, the form
that I fix in the Eternal,

Before jealous fate turn you to ashes to

feed the roots of life.

— Leopold Sedar Senghor

Background of the poet

Leopold Senghor was born in Senegal in 1906, he was Educated in Dakar, Senegal, and ' Paris,
France. Leopold was the first West African to graduate from the Sorbonne (a part of the
University of Paris). He was regarded as the Father of negritude (negro). it is based on the
philosophy that promotes the consciousness and pride in the African heritage, it cherishes the
state of being a black man and his cultural values.

As a Catholic, he wanted to be a priest, but later got involved in the cultural and political
activities of his country. During the second world war, he fought on the side of the French and
was taken as a prisoner of war in then Nazi Germany. He rose to the position of deputy of
Senegal in the French constituent Assembly. In 1960, he became the first president of an
independent Republic of Senegal and He retired from active politics in 1980.

Background of the poem

The poem, “Black Woman”, like every of Senghor’s poem, is a negritude poem. This poem of
the late president of Senegal, Léopold Sédar Senghor, is an ode to the Black woman, but above
all, to Senegal his country. Senghor's 'Black Woman' is the first-ever African poem that is
dedicated and devoted to appreciating the beauty of African women. The poem was originally
written in French as "femme noir", and later translated to English. "Black Woman" is a
revolutionary poem published in 1936, a time at which many people were not ready for the
change in the narrative of the perfect definition of beauty. Senghor is a leading figure of the
Negritude movement, which originated in France and set out to celebrate African
identity and culture. In the poem, "Black Woman" Senghor personifies Africa as a beautiful
woman, who is sometimes a maternal figure and sometimes a lover. The poem "Black woman" is
Senghor's most cited poem to date, largely because it is the first time a black woman is
eulogized. It is clearly about the praise of the African woman as a person and symbol of the
richness of the African culture. The poem expresses the beauty of the African woman (and by
extension the African culture) that was hitherto expressed in the negative light.
Setting

The setting of the poem is Africa. The poem is set in the 19205 and 19305 when no one could
think of a black woman when matters concerning beauty and charms are been raised or
discussed. Senghor creatively employs all the features that are then used to paint her ugliness and
nastiness to give a positive valuation to African women. He deploys the imagery of nature such
as animal, "the bush(savannah)", "ripe fruit", "east wind" "red-gold", "sun—baked", etc to
restore admiration for the image of the black woman.

Analysis of the poem

Senghor's "Black Woman" is written in seven stanzas, 33 lines. The poem is written from the
first-person perspective and in free verse-meaning that it has no set rhyme scheme.

In the first stanza, the poet expresses his fondness for the black woman as he describes the
blackness of the color of her skin as beautiful. Here, Africa is presented as a maternal mother
who gives life through birth. And under whose shadow the poet persona's childhood has been
nourished.

Senghor presents the black woman as a lover in the second stanza of the poem. He compares the
black body of the African woman of a ripened fruit, and the Savannah which" shuddering
beneath" eagerly caress the east wind. Her skin is further compared to the well "carved tom-tom,
taut tom-tom" drum the mutters under a valiant conqueror's fingers. Besides, her solemn
contralto voice has become the spiritual song of the beloved" one's.

In the third stanza of the poem, the adoration of the black skin of the African woman continues.
Her smooth skin is further compared to that of an athlete On the flanks of the princes of Mali, "
the elegant and graceful movement of the black woman is also compared to that of a gazelle
limbs formed in paradise. While the pearls shine stars on her skin on a heavenly night of
celebration.

In the last stanza, Senghor sees the black woman as Africa personified. He prefers to keep the
beauty of the African woman perpetually hanging on the walls of his mind. This memory will
not be affected even when "...jealous fate (death) turns her .. to ashes to feed the root of life. The
natural beauty of the African woman is compared to that of Africa before the colonial masters
invaded and colonized the continent.

POETIC DEVICES

Diction:

The poet's choice of words to symbolized the beauty of the black woman is stunning.

He deliberately uses words like nakedness, black, and darkness which are seen as negative
attributes to praise the natural beauty of the black woman. The poet is also challenging the
 African woman to appreciate her natural beauty and not to bleach the dark skin in the name of
the sophisticated culture of the western world.

Metaphor:

Metaphor is a prominent figure of speech used in the poem. The black woman is compared to the
"promised land," "ripe fruit," "Savannah", oil, and gazelle in lines 4,7,12, and 13. In lines 2, 21,
23, and 24: “your colour which is life … your form which is beauty”; “firm-fleshed ripe fruit,
somber raptures of black wine”; “oil that no breath ruffles, calm oil on the athletes flank …”;
“gazelle limbed in paradise, pearls are stars …” etc.

Simile:

The literary device is used in line 5 "your beauty strikes me to the heart like the flash of an
eagle," the comparison brings to mind the beauty and nobility of an eagle.

Repetition:

line 1 "naked woman, black woman" and. Line 6 "Naked woman, dark woman" is repeated in
lines 11 and 16 respectively to emphasize the natural beauty of the African woman.

Personification:

The "black woman" is figuratively used to personify the African continent and Senghor's
country, Senegal. The poet uses beauty of the color of the African woman's skin to personify the
rich African culture before western influence and colonization. There are manifestations of
personification in lines 15-16 and 32: “savannah shuddering … East Wind’s eager caresses”;
“jealous Fate” etc.

Imagery:

The poet's deploys natural imagery to link the Beauty of the black woman to nature, and by the
same token to his homeland of Senegal. Natural images like wind, sun, moon, night, and stars are
presented as attributes of the darkness of the African woman's skin.

Alliteration:

The poet uses alliteration to buttress the beauty of the black woman in lines 1,2,3,6,7,9 etc.

 Line 1,6,11 and 16 naked women black woman

 Line 2 "clothed with your color which is life, with your form which is beauty"
 Line 3 "...grown-up; the gentleness..."
 Line 7 " firm-fleshed ripe fruit..... Mouth making lyrical my mouth"
 Line 9 "carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom..."

Symbolism:

Symbolic words like:" the promised land, ripe fruit, Savannah, oil and gazelle to symbolize the
natural beauty of the black woman as a person, as well as a symbol of an African woman and
mother Africa.

THEMES

African Beauty

The poem gives prominence to the admiration and glorification of the beauty of the black
woman; hence the whole of the poem is devoted to the beauty of the black woman. The poet
admires the beautiful smooth skin of the African woman, which strikes his heart" like the
lighting of the eagle" he appreciates the powerful black presence of the natural black woman
around him right from his childhood. The African woman's body is then compared to the of a
ripened fruit, and whose resonant contralto voice is regarded as the spiritual anthem of the
nation. The poet describes the African woman as elegant, graceful, and pure in all her physical
attributes. This, the poet achieved by evoking elements of beauty in the poem, such as: " sun-
baked pass", the "heart of summer" "the heart of noon", " firm-fleshed ripe fruit", somber
raptures of black wine" to refer to African that is personified as a Naked woman, a Black woman
in the poem.

The Nurturing Quality of a Black Woman.

In the poem, the poet does not cease to express the unbeatable qualities of a black woman as the
source and sustainer of the growing child. The poet expresses his affection and appreciation to
the black woman who had care tenderly in the gentleness of her hands until he enters the
"promised land" of adulthood (Lines 1- 10). The ability of a black woman to give birth and
sustain the life of the infant child is applauded. Also, the role of the African woman as the first
teacher of the child is uncovered by the poet, as he remembers his mother's tutelage at the
various stages of childhood that sustained his growth into adulthood. (Line 4—5)

“The Theme of Praises of the Africa Culture.

The theme of the praises of the Africa culture cannot be overlooked in the poem. The poet's
choice of words to enchant the praises of the black woman is extraordinary.

In lines 1-2, the poet made a direct call of a naked woman, a black woman who is "clothed" with
her color which is life. The poet showers praise on the natural black color of the African
woman's skin, and everything about the black woman. Her smooth skin is compared to that of an
athlete. The poet further praises the African woman as graceful and elegant as a gazelle. The
natural beauty of the black woman in the poem is the richness of the African culture before the
colonization.

The Theme of Womanhood

The poet in “Black Woman” evokes all the known aspects of what it means to be a woman in
Africa. She is

 A mother and she cares

 Lover
 Epitome of beauty

And a sexual object. Thus, while most of these aspects of womanhood are very positive, there
are others that make the woman subservient to the domineering male persona (a “conqueror” of
women) in African culture.
Theme of Nostalgia

Like most Negritude poetry, Black Woman does not only glorify the present. The poet recalls the
past and shows a deep longing for those days gone by. His yearning for the past is most felt when
he refers to the love and care showered on him by his gentle African mother.
“In your shadow I have grown up the gentleness of your hands was laid over my eyes.”

However, as we have seen so far, this nostalgic feeling for his childhood goes beyond the
personal. It is a longing for the unblemished innocence of pre-colonial Africa. The poet wishes to
bring back the pure glory and beauty of the African landscape and culture before they were
decimated by the conquering colonizer.

Now living in Europe, he gets to appreciate more the beautiful climate of his own continent.
“And now high on the sun-baked

pass, at the heart of summer, at the heart of noon,

I come upon you, my Promised Land.

And your beauty strikes me to the heart

like the flash of an eagle.”

STYLE

Diction: the poet uses choice of words to symbolized the beauty of the black woman. He
deliberately uses words like nakedness, black and darkness which are seen as negative attributes
to praise the natural beauty of the black woman. The poet is also challenging the African woman
to appreciate her natural beauty. And to bleach the dark skin in the name of sophisticated culture
of the western world.
mood: the mode of the poem is that of Adoration. The poet adores the awesome beauty of the
black woman. He describes everything about the African woman as naturally beautiful. Senghor
sees Africa as the black woman he loves to celebrate. He seeks to adore that state of natural
beauty before it is taken away by death.

Tone: the poet’s tone of the appreciation of natural beauty of the black woman pervades the
poem. He praises the African woman not only for her natural smooth dark skin, but also for the
way and manner she brings up her children.

Ode: the poem is a hymn of praise to the black woman, an African mother, daughter or sister and
indeed mother Africa which deserves to be treated like a woman, the poet praise the natural
beauty of the African woman, and stresses the need to accord her the rightful place in the society.